(1863) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-630AA-1do, J.F. Gardner, Overstk on 1863 1C NY Cent NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$840 MS65 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Store card of J.F. Gardner, Overstk on 1863 1C NY Cent in New York, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. New York was the nation's commercial capital, with New York City alone producing hundreds of store card varieties from Broadway retailers to waterfront wholesalers. This piece is an overstrike struck over a host coin, an 1863 Indian Head cent. Traces of the original design may be visible beneath the new impressions. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce, resembling the federal Indian Head cent in both size and color. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. Overstrike varieties are generally scarcer than tokens struck on blank planchets, as they required sourcing and re-striking existing coins. With 5 cataloged varieties, J.F. Gardner, Overstk on 1863 1C NY Cent was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630AA-1do